The puzzles - scroll down for answers

General hint: Many of the puzzles may look more intractable than they really are. In a lot of cases the trick is to approach the puzzle with the right mindset – in other words to think like a GCHQ puzzle setter. So for example when looking at a set of words, don’t think of them as words, think of them as a set of letters. And when looking at a set of letters, think whether they could be converted into numbers. And when looking at a set of numbers, think whether they could be converted into letters.

1.

Identify the following:

GOCWIKTCEPIPEWNMBCMVFSCFTFLCWPGROCBLCPSM

2.

The answers to these questions come in pairs where each pair differs only in their first letter. Work out the pairs. The pronunciation may not always be the same.

1. One half of a titular TV sitcom couple.

2. British budget clothing and homeware retailer.

3. Type of hat.

4. One of the Channel Islands.

5. River that passes through northern English city.

6. TV space alien.

7. Capital of country with a coastline on the Persian Gulf.

8. Surname of an England football captain.

9. An Irish county.

10. An English city that is a county town.

11. One of the official languages of the fourth largest country in Europe.